Battlefield 4 Premium Detailed With New Levolution Trailer

Electronic Arts had a pretty big press conference for GamesCom this year, unveiling new media assets for games we already knew were coming and rolling out additional details on things we were sure were coming but EA kept silent about until now. That includes Battlefield 4 Premium and some new details on how to utilize Levolution in the game.

So first up, BF4 Premium contains five expansion packs (funny EA didn't call them DLC packs given how sour gamers are on the term) and it kicks off with China Rising, the map usually showcased at the press events and tradeshows. Second Assault brings back several <Battlefield 3 maps with upgraded Levolution (EA's excuse for doing what Activision does and having people pay for recycled maps from the previous game). Naval Strike ramps up the sea combat as players go head-to-head against each other across the watery grave for many ships, as the Chinese armada commands the waves. The last one is Dragon's Teeth, an expansion set within the tight urban warfare environment for those who enjoy that kind of CQC.

So all in all, there will be five expansion packs, two weeks early access for premium members, 12 battlepacks, priority server cues and new content dropping each and every week, including weapons, updates and more.

The game will launch with Premium beginning October 29th in North America and October 31st in Europe.

I can't really tell if BF4's Premium is more or less worth the price of admission over BF3's Premium, but it does appear as if EA is trying to tweak how they promote their DLC and how they name it. Calling them “Expansion packs” instead of “DLC” will probably make the slightly more gullible feel at ease with paying for Premium, but it's still the same thing as usual.

Now, the real kicker is the Levolution... I'm liking that they have more destructible elements and bringing light fixtures and structures into the fray. More ways to keep other players in the dark or blocking off an area or destroying a dam and flooding a city – all that stuff is really, really, really cool.

I'm not really digging the idea of recycling Battlefield 3 maps and having them as DLC, but maybe modders (for the PC version at least) will find a way to convert maps from BF3 to BF4.

Anyway, Battlefield 4 is looking pretty good. I don't know how well this game will work to win back favor from the gaming community for a lot of EA's anti-consumer transgressions, but they're trying... they're trying.

You can check out the new Levolution trailer below or visit the official website to learn more about the game.